The 39th annual Albury-Wodonga regional property seminar, held at The Cube, heard from Wodonga Council director of planning and infrastructure Leon Schultz about the city’s evolution.

Organised by the Border chapter of the Australian Property Institute, the event also discussed economics, water trading and developments in solar energy.

The Geoff Dixon Memorial Scholarship, open to all Australian bachelor degree property students, went to former Albury student James Louw.

Now studying his second year at Deakin University, Mr Louw graduated from The Scots School Albury in 2010.

As part of his scholarship application he had to identify projects to make Albury more liveable and suggested making Dean Street a pedestrian area and developing the Noreuil Park foreshore.

“Most of the things that came into my mind straight away, a little bit of Googling and (I found) they’ve already been presented at council meetings,” he said.

“There’s a lot of great things that Albury has already done, which always makes me very excited when I come back.”

Coincidentally Mr Louw had considered how to develop the former Wodonga railway site for his application into an earlier architecture course and has since seen the changes to that precinct.

“It’s nice to see how things move on and it is quite a fast moving industry,” he said.

“Everyone’s talking about housing affordability and valuation has an impact on that, it does really say this is what your house will cost,” he said.

“If you own a property or want to own a property you need a valuer.”

Last year’s scholarship winner Kayla Cartledge also attended Friday’s seminar.

Border real estate agent Geoff Dixon and colleagues started the scholarship scheme in 1994 to encourage students studying valuation.

In 2006 the award name was changed to honour Mr Dixon, who had died the previous year.